Was the character “Jo” in the old “Facts of Life” TV series taken from “Little Women”? They just seem so full of the same spirit and spunk…I love it! It just seems too coincidental. Baby books even claim “Jo” is a rare name as they all cite Little Women as the most notable usage of this name. - Jinx
Wasn’t Jo in Little Women short for Josephine? I would imagine that’s always been a pretty common diminutive for a name that I bet Josephine Bonaparte would argue goes back before Little Women.
The name “Jo” in The Facts of Life was short for “Joanna,” according to the IMDb. I’ve watched a program on the history of the program The Facts of Life, and it was never mentioned that there was any inspiration from the book Little Women (and that’s the sort of thing that they would have mentioned). The fact that they both concerned four girls is coincidence too. There were four girls in Little Women because that’s what Alcott’s family was like. The Facts of Life started with more than four girls in the central cast, but several were dropped from the cast after the first season because it was decided that the show worked better with fewer characters to concentrate on.
Sorry but I don’t see it.
Jo March is a strong minded girl for the 19th century. Her family is middle class, and her father is away fighting during the Civil War, leaving her mother to keep the family. It is more important to Jo to write well and be published than to marry and have children. Her only upset at seeing Laurie marry her sister, Amy, is that it means that they can’t return to the careless childhood games and plays.
‘Jo’ Polniaczek is out-spoken tom-boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Her family is poor. She’s all bravado over a soft heart. Nice kid, but she’s no Jo March.
It’s a common literary device. Have a female character you want to be tomboyish and spunky? Give her a nickname that makes her sound like a boy (Billy, Andy, Toby, Charlie, Jo, etc.) But be sure you indicate that her given name is something more feminine, like Charlotte, Josephine, or Joanna, so you make it clear that underneath the bravado beats a feminine heart.
This device is by no means confined to Louisa May Alcott and The Facts of Life. They both just happened to give their female characters the same boyish nickname.
I’m flying blind here having (a) not read the book and (b) lacking my reference, but here goes. In a baby naming book I have, I distinctly recal the entry “Jo” as a name to itself. The author stated it was rare, such as Jo from “Little Women” without being the diminutive form of Josephine. Or, Joanne? (I know a Joanne who sometimes goes by Jo, for short.) - Jinx
I always like Jo the most on The Facts of Life, too, but while both characters are tomboyish and direct, I think that’s where the similarity ends. I guess you could, possibly, equate Blair with Amy, but Amy was never that vain, and I certainly don’t see a Meg or Beth in the TV show (nobody ever died on that show that I remember).
Here is the full text and study guide for Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
In the 3rd chapter, an invitation comes for Miss March and Miss Josephine.